General Things to Know

Shabbat:

A lot of places are closed on Friday afternoon through Saturday since it is Shabbat, the holy day for the Jews. In Israel, the weekend is Friday and Saturday. You can still find places that will be open, but there will be no public transportation. If you are flying into Israel between Friday afternoon to Saturday evening, your only way to get out of the airport is if someone is picking you up, you pre-booked a shuttle, or a taxi.

Money

The currency in Israel is NIS (New Israeli Shekel). The Shekel is pretty stable and it’s usually 1:3.5, meaning one USD is 3.5~ Shekels. If you are planning on drawing cash money out of the ATM, make sure you ATM pin code is only 4 digits! The ATMs in Israel cannot accept more or less than 4 digits.

The prices printed on a menu or price tags already include tax. When a price is present on a menu, tag or anywhere else, the tax has already been added, and you will see the final price you need to pay.

HOW TO TIP? Tipping in Israel is 10% minimum required! If you enjoyed your service, it’s common to give 15-18% and if it was outstanding, give as much as you want. If you want to leave your tip in cash, you pay your bill, get the change/receipt, and then put down the tip and leave. If you want to leave your tip by card, you must tell the waiter/waitress before they charge your card! You need to be specific about the amount you are giving, how much, and if you are referring to the percent or the Shekels.

This is what the money looks like:

20₪ 50₪ 100₪ 200₪

0.50₪ 0.10₪ 0.05₪ 0.01₪

10₪ 5₪ 2₪ 1₪

Agorot (the equivalent to cents)

One Shekel have 100 Agorot

Electricity

Electrical adapters (220 volts AC, single phase, 50 cycles)

When getting an adapter, make sure it moderates the volts as well. Americans electrical adapters are 110 volts. Not all American electronics will work in Israel.

Security

Israel takes its security very, very, very, VERY seriously! What does this mean for you? Just be aware of your bags and your space. If you see something weird, tell a police officer or a security guard. Do not leave your bags unattended. When going into big places like malls and bus stations, there will be a security guard and sometimes they will ask to check your bags. That is normal.

Airport security can take a very long time! There are many precautions that you will see that are different than US airport security (questioning passengers, checking bags if needed, armed guards, etc.) and many other precautions that you do not see. Arrive to the airport 3 hours before your flight and start the security process. You cannot fill bottles with water before boarding when flying to the US.

Cultural Gaps

Few things to know that will help you cope with Israelis and the Israeli mentality.

Personal space: there is none. Israelis do not believe in personal space at all (pre-corona). No one stands in lines, and they are very close to one another.

People yell all the time. Israelis love to be heard! To make sure everyone hears them, they speak very loudly. Do not worry, you can ask nicely to lower their voice.

No splitting bills! When sitting in a restaurant, you cannot split a bill amongst different people. There is one and you need to remember who ordered what and how much your order cost.

If you want to use public transportation (good luck), you can use the app “moovit” (you will need phone data or Wi-Fi). Public transportation does not operate during Shabbat.

It's acceptable to bargain in the market (shuk), but it not acceptable in shops, cafes, or restaurants.

Free Tours

There are many free tours companies that you can find online that will take you on free tours in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Jaffa. At the end of the tour you are expected to tip the tour guide as much as you fill like. You can also find a lot of payed tours to destinations all over the country.

Helpful Links

Here is a list of YouTube links that you might find useful:

HAVE FUN IN ISRAEL!